Ahankar (Ego) Ahankar, commonly rendered as Hankaar or Hankār (Punjabi: ਹੰਕਾਰ, pronunciation: [ɦaunkäːaɝ]) based upon its pronunciation in Punjabi, is a Gurmukhi word originating from the Sanskrit word Ahankāra (Sanskrit: अहंकार) which translates to mean "ego" or "excessive pride" due to one's possessions, material wealth, spirituality, beauty, talents, physical strength, intelligence, authoritative powers, charity work, amid others.
[1] Various synonymous terms appear in the Sikh scriptures to describe the state of mind aside from ahankar, such as mān, abhimān, garab, gumān, ahaṅg, ahammeu, ahambudh, haumai and khudī.
This is obtained by Sewa and hence, one sees the practice of devotees cleaning the footwear of visitors to a Gurdwara so that the mind of devout Sikh is made more humble.
[1] Moreover, Guru Amar Das also states the following, which links the formation of the evil trait to lobh (greed):[1] Pelf is like poison, for it engenders arrogance.
None sunk in arrogance wins approvalIn its relation to God realization, it impedes upon one's journey to it, such as through the practice of Naam Simran:[1] Egoity is the adversary of nam (absorption in God's Name); the two cannot abide togetherGuru Arjan provides a detailed description of the harmful effects of ahankar on humanity:[1] O thou, the cause of birth and death: O thou, the soul of sin: Thou forsakest friends and sowest enmities: Thou spreadest the net of illusion far and wideGuru Tegh Bahadur states that even a person who has reached a high level of spiritual advancement can render all their efforts fruitless if they allow ahankar to ensnare them:[1] Pilgrimages, fasting and charities if they lead to guman (pride) go waste like the bath by an elephant (who after bathing besmears his body with dirt)The remedy for ahankar as per Sikhism is the cultivation of humility (nimrata) and the practice of voluntary sevā.
[1] Bhagat Kabir states the following on the narcissism of pride when humans live short, impermanent existences no matter what status they thought they held on Earth:[1] Even kings mightier than Ravana ... perished in a twinkleThe Sikh gurus make a distinction between Haumai and Ahankar in their hymns.
"[3] Whilst Samkhya and Buddhist philosophies treat it as a metaphysical myth, Sikhism, on the other hand, describes it as a common evil trait, among five, inherent within human beings.